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Cumin Spiced Lentils and Rice with Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing

January 29, 2019 Dressings & Sauces, Featured, Main Dishes, Meals, Quick & Easy, Recipes, Sides, Vegan

Cumin Spiced Lentils and Rice with Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing | The Full Helping

Years ago, a reader mentioned (while I was doing the SNAP challenge for my masters program) that one of her favorite inexpensive meals was a stir fry of rice and lentils with a peanut butter sauce. It sounded simple and delicious, and it became the inspiration for this dish, which is now a weeknight favorite.

The suggestion, and the meal that it resulted in, had a domino affect. Various combinations of skillet-warmed rice and lentil dinners have become a staple in my home. It’s the bean, grain, and green meal template idea, with lentils as the bean. I like to vary the lentils I use (brown, green, beluga), try different spices and seasonings, and play around with sauces and dressings to top it with. Dinners don’t really get more nutritious, cost-effective, or easy, especially if I’ve cooked the rice and lentils ahead of time, or if I’m using canned lentils. (These days, honestly, I often am.)

Cumin Spiced Lentils and Rice with Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing | The Full Helping

This not-recipe recipe is just another variation on the combination I like so much. I wouldn’t call this mujaddara, since it doesn’t come close to having that dish’s deeply caramelized onions or socarrat (the delightfully crispy rice at the bottom of the pan). But mujaddara is a loose source of inspiration for the meal. I don’t caramelize the onions that go into the recipe, but I do brown them a bit more than I usually would. And I add cumin and coriander, which are characteristic Middle Eastern spices, if not included in all mujaddara recipes.

I like to top earthy dishes like this one with a bright, tart dressing. The dressing that probably gets more love than any other in Power Plates is my Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing; the title is a slight exaggeration, but not by much. I make a batch of it nearly every week, and once it’s made I use it almost daily. Here, it adds just the right creaminess and acidity to balance the savoriness of onions and spices. And as an added bonus, it can be whisked together in minutes.

Cumin Spiced Lentils and Rice with Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing | The Full Helping

Print Recipe
5 from 19 votes

Cumin Spiced Lentils and Rice with Every Day Lemon Tahini Dressing

Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Course: main dish, Side Dish
Cuisine: gluten free, no oil option, soy free, tree nut free, vegan
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon neutral flavored vegetable oil, such as safflower or grapeseed
  • 1 large or 2 small white or yellow onions, sliced thinly
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 small bunch kale, collards, or another leafy green, stems removed and chopped into bite-sized pieces (about 4 packed cups of greens)
  • 3 cups cooked, long-grain brown rice (1 cup dry)
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils (1 can lentils, drained and rinsed, or 2/3 cups dry lentils, cooked)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing:

  • 1 ⁄4 cup tahini
  • 1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated on a microplane
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar or maple syrup, optional
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed

Instructions

  • To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk until evenly blended. If the dressing is thicker than you’d like, whisk in water by the tablespoonful to achieve the desired consistency. (Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the dressing will keep for 1 week.)
  • Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook the onions, stirring them often, for about 10-12 minutes, or until they're a nice, golden brown. Add the cumin and coriander and stir; then, add the kale. Cook the kale until it's tender, stirring often (about 5 minutes).
  • Add the rice and lentils to the skillet, along with the lemon juice. Heat everything through. Taste the mixture and add salt and pepper to your liking. Divide onto plates and top with Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing.

Notes

If you prefer, you can replace the oil with a few tablespoons of vegetable broth.

Cumin Spiced Lentils and Rice with Everyday Lemon Tahini Dressing | The Full Helping

I love using rice here, but the dish would work with farro, barley, bulgur, or even millet. Whatever you choose, it’s worth having the grain or the lentils are both prepared ahead of time if you’d like dinner to come together in just minutes.

As far as serving goes, I sometimes add a few wedges of whole wheat pita to the plate so that I can scoop up every last bite of the mixture (and whatever dressing is on the plate!). You can serve the lentils and rice as a side dish, along with a big salad and some grilled or baked tofu or tempeh, or you could make it a main dish along with some veggies: roasted beets, broccoli, and cauliflower all work really nicely with it! It’s also lovely with a cup of soup at this time of year; I especially like to have it with this carrot soup (chickpeas optional, since there’s plenty of legume action going on here already).

My new rotation of the dietetic internship has begun, and since I started with low energy, I’ve kept my meal prep humble and streamlined in the last week and a half. This dish has been a perfect addition to the mix (the leftovers are pretty great hot or cold, though with freezing temperatures in NYC right now, the hotter the better).

I hope you’ll find it easy and appealing, too—and I’m wishing you all a great week ahead.

xo

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Categories: Dressings & Sauces, Featured, Main Dishes, Meals, Quick & Easy, Recipes, Sides, Vegan Tags: DI, easy meals, leftovers, meal prep, rice and lentils, skillet, student life, weeknight

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Previous Post: « Weekend Reading, 1.27.19
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jennifer Bliss says

    January 29, 2019 at 1:45 pm

    YUM!! That Tahini Dressing is right up my alley!

    Reply
  2. Opal Marie says

    January 30, 2019 at 6:22 pm

    5 stars
    I love lentils! Rice is great also! A variety of spices adds to the entire dish. Love this post!

    Reply
  3. Jenny says

    January 30, 2019 at 11:27 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight and it was a hit! Easy, too. Put it on my Pinterest favorites board.

    Reply
    • Gena says

      January 31, 2019 at 10:50 am

      Yay! Thanks Jenny 🙂

      Reply
  4. Elizabeth says

    January 31, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    5 stars
    Totally delicious! Used up late week cooked batch cooking grains, beans and roasted veggies plus the fresh onion, spices and kale and of course the sauce. Absolutely delicious and so ridiculously easy. Thank you!!

    Reply
  5. Edward Blocker says

    February 11, 2019 at 8:00 am

    5 stars
    I just loved it, I’m not only going to give it 5 stars. But, I’m going to share it with all my website’s followers on the social media. Thank you for giving me something useful to share it today!

    Reply
  6. Ashley Hoober says

    February 13, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    5 stars
    The dressing adds a whole new level of flavour to an already super flavourful dish! Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  7. Puro Food says

    February 20, 2019 at 10:06 am

    5 stars
    I love easy dinner recipes, especially when they turn out to be something my whole family loves!. This one also looks tasty.This is literally one of the most delicious things I have made! thank you for sharing a great recipe!!
    https://www.puro.pk/

    Reply
  8. Danielle says

    February 22, 2019 at 9:42 am

    5 stars
    I’m absolutely in love with this recipe! Made it yesterday and just couldn’t stop nibbling at the leftovers. I decided to reduce the amount of rice and lentils (since it was just two of us eating it) and slightly up the amount of sauce (since I always like a lot of sauce) and it came out great! The combo of that sauce with the cumin is just awesome!

    Reply
    • Gena says

      February 22, 2019 at 10:00 am

      So glad that you enjoyed it, Danielle!!!

      Reply
  9. Shannon says

    February 22, 2019 at 11:00 am

    5 stars
    I can’t wait to make this! It looks so nourishing and delicious. Thank you for sharing your SNAP challenge experience too. Right out of college, I worked as a nutritionist at a local Food Bank, so the SNAP program is close to my heart.

    Reply
  10. Molly says

    February 28, 2019 at 11:09 am

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was simple, filling and flavorful. I only had half of an onion so I used that and the white part of about 5 scallions and it worked out really well. I highly recommend serving this with Gena’s Yum Sauce but I’m sure it’s great with the Everyday Lemon Tahini dressing too.

    Reply
  11. Susan Crawford says

    March 9, 2019 at 9:25 pm

    I absolutely love lentils! With that tahini dressing, the dish will be heavenly!

    Reply
  12. laex says

    March 16, 2019 at 7:11 am

    So yummy…

    Reply
  13. srborewells says

    March 25, 2019 at 6:44 am

    soo delicious food

    Reply
  14. jenni says

    March 25, 2019 at 1:18 pm

    This was wonderful. The dressing really complements it & adds so many more flavors.

    Reply
    • Gena says

      March 25, 2019 at 6:00 pm

      So glad that you enjoyed!

      Reply
  15. Coco says

    April 18, 2019 at 10:45 pm

    I love lentils, can’t wait to try this! I think I will try this the oil-free way, as I tend to cook oil-free for myself most of the time.

    Reply
  16. Stacey Hamblett says

    April 22, 2019 at 6:37 pm

    5 stars
    Great healthy and easy recipe! I like to place cumin seeds in the oil first to sautés and bring out even more flavor, then proceed with the recipe. And I love adding spinach instead! Yum, thanks!

    Reply
  17. laex says

    April 30, 2019 at 5:26 am

    I really like your post. Please keep sharing your post as usual.

    Reply
  18. Indrani says

    June 18, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, so good and so easy! Especially loved the whip of Tahini sauce.

    Reply
  19. Jenna says

    August 19, 2019 at 11:40 am

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner last night and it was SO good! Swapped out half the rice for roasted sweet potatoes and added extra kale. I can see the base of this recipe + the dressing work so well with many different roasted veggie combinations. Happy to add this to the rotation of frequently made recipes in our home 🙂
    Thanks for another amazing recipe!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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Hi! I’m Gena. I'm a registered dietitian (RD), food blogger, recipe developer, and cookbook author. In this space you'll find nourishing vegan recipes, reflections on mindfulness and self care, and resources to help you explore an informed and compassionate relationship with food.

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